Your photo is really small. The front porch looks like it is surrounded by a wall. If it is not you definitely need stairs, AND a railing on the porch. Use box columns to enclose the metal posts.

Place the stairs in front of the door and make them at least 42" wide. Run a sidewalk from the porch to the driveway. If people park along what looks like a drive in front of the house run a sidewalk to that driveway. People always take the shortest route. If you don't have a sidewalk for them there will still be a trodden path.

Consider creating a rain garden with the runoff from the downspout from the garage. Run the downspout under the sidewalk so the upper edge of the rain garden is 10' away from the foundation. A rain garden is not a water garden. It is a depression where storm water temporarily collects and sinks into the ground. Plants used will take both wet and dry soil. Here is a good ARTICLE on building a rain garden, and here's another in PDF format. Do a search for "rain garden plants" for your state to get a list of those best suited to your climate. You can also use lists from next door states that have a similar climate. You can also do this for other downspouts. Below is a general layout of where I would put sidewalks and the rain garden.

Use medium sized shrubs against the foundation. Pay attention to expected mature heights and widths. If a plant will be 5' wide at maturity don't plant it closer than 3' to a wall, fence or pathway. You can also use perennials in front of or between shrubs, and large or small annuals are good fill-in while shrubs and perennials are young. Check with local nurseries for plants best suited to your climate and soil.